Monsters Once Heroes
by TobiasHawk1
Summary: This is for people who need Adam to be more than just an abusive sociopath. For people who'd interpreted him as an anti-hero this whole time, and aren't willing to allow your interpretations to be so brutally destroyed by canon. This is an Adam who still wants a way out, but can't find it.


Blood, howls, screams and gunshots peppered the autumn night. The roaring of hundreds of Grimm and desperate screaming of terrified students pierced his sensitive ears every single moment as the horrors of Cinder's plan came to fruition. That vile woman had put him on a mission- one that he couldn't afford to refuse.

"You _will_ kill, Adam Taurus." Her golden eyes glowed bright as she spoke, fire burning the ground around him and his partner, bending to her will. It seemed like years since he'd heard that voice searing in his ears. Decades. Centuries.

"Bring them to their knees," he'd ordered as he dropped out of the airship. He'd _never_ given permission to kill. Fear. Intimidation. Panic. Chaos. _But not murder!_ No… some grunt had taken it upon themself to be the first to misinterpret his order so violently. Their blade cut through flesh and bone and pierced the heart of a young girl who'd been caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. After that… the once peaceful night had turned into a bloodbath. Adam struck a solemn pace on his way to Beacon's cafeteria. He knew it was the only place on campus that could fit his needs. Someplace relatively empty- somewhere his own kill count might stay low throughout this horrible night. Somewhere he could hide out of sight, where not even members of his own army might find him.

Each step brought with it new terrors. Students screaming and crying for help as Nevermores flew off with their friends clutched tight in their talons. Others cornered between packs of Grimm, only to disappear in a sea of black fur and white claws- their screams of terror cut short by the howl of a Beowolf or roar of an Ursa. He tore his gaze from each one, unable to watch as they looked to him, pleading for help before they were consumed by the night. Despite years of playing savoir for the Faunus cause… tonight he was removed from his post and used as a pawn for wanton destruction. The thought brought bile to his lips, heat and sickness assaulting his body as the essence of death filled his senses. The smell, taste, sounds of dozens- possibly _hundreds_ of lives cut short before he _finally_ opened the grand double doors to the cafeteria. His heart sank immediately as nearly a dozen sets of eyes fell upon him. Students too scared or injured to flee from the hordes of Grimm assaulting their school. Two Atlesian soldiers who'd been left behind to defend them, clearly fresh from training. Their shaky hands held their guns tight to their bodies before they lowered their guards, clearly unaware of who he was.

"Are you a teacher," one of soldiers called desperately. The accusation like a cattle prod against Adam's back. A teacher would protect. A teacher would serve. A teacher would comfort these terrified students in their hour of need. He was forced to be everything he despised.

" _Why won't you run_ ," he silently begged.

"I'm sorry…" Each strike was instantly lethal. He caused no suffering. He took no joy. Beneath the Grimm mask he wore so often, his own face had hardened into yet another. He allowed no emotion to disrupt the facade he had been forced to wear. It'd only make what was necessary even harder. The mission Cinder had posed to him was one he simply couldn't afford to refuse, the lives of those nearest to him depended on its completion.

He hated it.

 _He loathed it._

This was not who the White Fang were.

This was not the vision he'd hoped to realize.

His faction of revolutionaries had been reduced to mere pawns in a game of chess he'd had no intention of playing. His righteous cause for equality and coexistence stripped from them as they'd been branded by Cinder's new heartless regime.

"I will kill her," his threat was hollow and fell upon deaf ears. He knew he held no power over the woman, nor ever would. Cleaning his blade of blood with one quick movement, he proceeded to sheathe Wilt back into Blush. The blade screeched as it grinded into Blush in protest. Neither of his weapons took pleasure in this senseless chaos and vehemently protested his actions. Grimm poured into the cafeteria as he stewed in his hatred for the manipulative woman. _Cinder Fall_. The wicked witch of fire and unadulterated evil. The woman who'd stripped him of his will- his _dignity_ and had left behind nothing but an obedient shell that she could command with ease. She'd turned him into a murderer and the Grimm flooding Beacon could sense his bitterness towards her. He took it out on the hungry Beowolves who'd been emboldened by the negative emotions pouring from him in waves.

Grimm were always easy. _They_ disappeared after they were killed.

He was a hurricane. He was a force of nature and destruction. His weapons carved through the air, piercing through bone and viscous flesh. Dozens of the wretched creatures fell by his blade and rifle, each one torn apart with indiscriminate hatred. Black fur and limbs fell to the ground before turning to slick oil and evaporating into the night air. White plates of armored bone shattered and turned to dust, blowing away in the breeze of his next strike. He imagined each Grimm felled by his blade to be a dozen lives saved from the battle happening outside the cafeteria. Each Ursa, a freshman too slow to run away. Each Creep, a struggling sophomore surrounded by one too many assailants. He sunk his blade _deep_ into the throat of a Griffon, hearing its anguished cry cut short as its body disappeared.

And yet a dozen sets of eyes still stared at him, as if they still knew who'd been the one to cut their lives so short. No amount of Grimm he slayed tonight would ever bring _them_ back.

Stopping to catch his breath, he removed his mask to wipe the sweat from his brow. It burned like acid, cold and salty as his body revolted against the atrocities he was being forced to commit. Just like the weapon he'd forged from molten steel, his body- forged through countless battles and refined through determination- rebelled against his every movement.

" _I am not a monster_ ," he argued, tightening his hold on the white and red mask. Three thin slits were his only windows into the world around him. His view narrowed, his perception of the world around him was blinded to the truth.

" _This was your choice_ ," her velvet voice sang in his ear. His choice to don the masks. His choice to live so his army- his _friends_ \- might survive. Had he instead chosen to become a martyr, Cinder might not have been able to attack this sacred place of learning in such a manner. The lives lost tonight might have survived another day.

" _Not this… This was not my choice… Never my choice..._ " Tears threatened to wash his cheeks of the blood he'd spilled, but he held them at bay, choking them back. Cinder had forced him on this mission, but he'd had one of his own that was of utter importance. Gloved hands closed tightly around the mask.

" _Not before I find-"_

"Adam!" Ears burning, he straightened quickly. Torn from his stupor, by the sound of his name, he _instantly_ recognized to whom that voice belonged. Even after a year of apart from her- heart burning with the constant, throbbing ache for her touch- he knew her voice as if it'd been mere hours since she'd bid him farewell.

" _She can't be here when the tower falls_ ," his mind screamed.

" _Cinder can't know about her. She'd use her against you._ "

" _The White Fang can't recognize her. They'll attack her on sight."_

" _THE DRAGON!"_

The night's atmosphere was supercharged with the threat of danger, however he could only thank whatever guardian angel was still watching over him for Blake having found him before something terrible had happened to her. Donning the mask once more, he realized he must consent to the monster yet again tonight. He realized each time he allowed the beast to take hold, it was more and more difficult to get it to release him.

"My love?" His voice was dry and nearly cracked, but betrayed no emotion as he turned to face her. Blake Belladonna, amber eyes wide with shock and disgust stood before him, weapon raised and ready to strike even as her hands shook with fear.

"What are you _doing_ ," she demanded. She didn't want to believe- _she couldn't allow herself to believe_ … This wasn't the man she knew. This wasn't the Adam Taurus she'd left behind. This man was not-

"I… _You need to leave_ ," he repeated the words with the same malice he'd reserved for Cinder and her two compatriots after they'd arrogantly asked for his help. He _knew_ Blake. When presented with confrontation, she would run. She _always_ ran- even from him. He allowed the monster Cinder had born in him to grow, directing itself at the one person he'd ever loved. The only person he'd ever cared about. The words stung his lips like wildfire, pouring from his mouth like molten metal. He saw her flinch but she stood her ground, grip tightening on Gambol Shroud. Her shadow grew, stretching towards him and threatening to swallow him up as the fires that burned behind her coughed up smoke as they continued to die.

"I'm not going _anywhere_." Her words made his heart race. She'd grown in his absence. Her stance was sharper, her every movement calculated. _She wouldn't run._ Her words made him proud beyond imagination. Her timing made him pale as he realized this interaction would not end peacefully.

"Don't be _childish_ , Blake… _go_ ," he growled. His voice just low enough he knew she would have to strain to hear him. Fingers touching Wilt's hilt, he tried to intimidate her. To _force_ her to run.

"Why are you doing this," she screamed. Tears in her eyes, she took a step forward towards him, attempting to return the intimidation. He didn't even flinch- despite her obvious improvement in skill over the past year, he could still see _Blake_ in her. And he'd known Blake more intimately than he knew himself.

"I _have_ to! Can't you see that," he snarled.

" _She should know better than this. She should know I would never-"_

"Don't _lie_ to me Adam! You _always_ have a choice," she cried back. Her accusation was emphasized by the screech of a Nevermore landing on the roof of the cafeteria. It had been drawn to the two, searching for the growing reservoir of fear, hatred and betrayal the couple had become.

"Not this time," he sighed. He _didn't_ have a choice. Blake was strong- one of the strongest people he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. But the odds were stacked against her. Cinder's power would soon double as she completed the main purpose of her plan, Roman Torchwick's presence loomed over the battlefield like a snake preparing to strike, the impending doom of Beacon Tower set to fall at midnight and the angry bellow of the dragon born of ash and fire boomed through the night.

And she chose to pick a fight with _him._ He needed her to understand, before he lost her for good.

"Not this time," he repeated, resignation the only sentiment that crept into his voice. He saw Blake's face change from bitter resentment to pure fear. She could sense the monster he'd become and she was _terrified_. One step towards her and she held her ground.

Another step towards her and she readied Gambol Shroud, blade poised to kill, muzzle ready to fire.

The next step was almost too fast for her to react.

Blades collided, rose against onyx. Sparks flying as metal grated against metal. She was good. Huntress training had served her well, and with each traded blow he admired the woman she had become.

But she was still hardly a match for the man who'd first taught her to defend herself. They'd spent years together perfecting every strike, working on every angle of their blades as they struck at one another with dangerous speed. He knew her far too well.

Blush coming down heavily on her wrist, he heard the pained gasp as the strike overwhelmed her Aura and nearly snapped bone. Preying upon her moment of weakness, he elbowed her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and keeping her open for another strike as Blush's muzzle came down against the back of her neck. Clutching tightly to Gambol Shroud, she was forced to her knees, stars erupting behind her eyes as she bit back the pain of the attack.

"I'm not going to warn you again, my darling. Leave now. Run _far away_ as fast as you can. This is not a fight you're going to win." He all but pleaded with her to understand. Her life was the only thing keeping him close to his humanity- if he were to lose _her..._

"I'll stop you," she screamed, twisting her body and shoving her weapon in an upward strike. The blow would've pierced his throat and cut through brain and skull had he been any slower stepping back. He'd never expected such savagery from her. It chilled him to his core knowing just how desperate to end him she had become.

" _She truly believes she's trying to slay a monster…"_

"You'll run," he promised, a swift kick to her ribs pushed her across the floor and she curled over in pain. Gasping for breath, she struggled to her feet, wincing as her Aura healed the broken rib.

"I'm _not_ running," she threatened with a lunge, their blades colliding a second time. The next exchange was born of hatred as she tried her best to end the monster Adam had become. Blade to blade, he loomed menacingly over her smaller form. Hair as red as devil's fire, his voice burning as hot as dragon's breath.

"You will."

She kicked at his knee and he sidestepped away before the blow landed. She lunged forward attempting a quick stab and he parried behind his back with a quick spin for balance. She fired and he blocked, blade glowing red as it absorbed the Dust rounds.

" _If she kills me I won't have to kill again_." The thought was tempting.

" _If she kills me she won't leave. She'll perish with everyone else here tonight_." The thought kept him fighting. He fired Blush and she was forced to use her Semblance, dodging away as her afterimage took the blow. He anticipated her dodge and kicked at where he knew her stomach would be. Wind knocked out of her a second time, she doubled over in pain. Bringing a knee to her face, he bloodied her nose and knocked her to the ground. A quick strike with Wilt slapped Gambol Shroud out of her hand, sending the weapon clattering across the ground. Wilt still in hand, he weighed his options quickly.

" _She won't leave unless I force her to."_

" _I can't carry her out of here, someone will see me. She has to leave on her own."_

" _She can't fight if she's too injured."_

"You're going to leave this place and not look back. You're going to get out of here whether you want to or not."

"Just tell me one thing," she whispered through grit teeth. Blood bubbled from her nose, running down her cracked lips and into her mouth as she spoke. Spitting quickly, she fought to find the words she knew would sting the most.

"Have you always been this much of a _monster_? Or was I just too blindly in love with you to see it until now?"

The words burned down to his core. The facade of cruelty and malice melted away as she voiced his worst fears. His grip wavered, Wilt slipping from his grasp.

"I can't remember." The answer rang harshly of truth and seared his ears, Blake caught by surprise at the answer.

His stab was quick, and the scream drowned out the Nevermore's delighted screech as it gorged itself on her pain and suffering. He couldn't look away, he couldn't allow himself to be spared of the hurt in her glare or the tears in her eyes as he hurt her in ways he never thought possible. He needed to _feel,_ before Adam Taurus was swallowed up in the terrible monster he'd become forever.

"Run," he begged, twisting the blade. The resulting scream shred his heart to pieces, and he roared into the empty cafeteria, his own pain too much to bear silently anymore.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

His head snapped upwards and he looked out the window in confusion. He quickly determined the identity of their interloper. He _knew_ this girl. Eyes of fiery red, hair of burning gold, fists clenched tight as her Aura ignited the air around her in a dazzling inferno of raw emotion. She was fire incarnate, pouring rage and fury into the world around her like a force of nature. Yang Xiao Long charged the masked man with reckless abandon. With a bounding leap forward she aimed a punch straight for Adam's head.

She was fast, ruthless and determined. Her rage was mighty, her anger came with just a touch of the power Cinder had threatened him with.

Adam Taurus was left with very few options.

Wilt raised, he struck. The attack was one he'd performed dozens of times, and he hardly felt any resistance as his blade sliced through skin, flesh, muscle and bone. Her arm fell heavily against the ground, gauntlet landing with a noisy clatter against the linoleum floor. Her body landed defeated into a pile of rubble, the pain clearly enough to force her to unconsciousness.

He swallowed hard, the disgust at what he'd just done welling up deep in his chest and threatening to spill out.

" _She's alive. You didn't kill her. She's alive. She is alive."_

He knew Blake had taken his moment of distraction to scramble to her friend's side. Even in the painful agony he'd inflicted upon her, she was still strong for a friend. She'd _always_ be strong for those her were closest to her. He glanced into amber eyes that stared back at him in angry disbelief. The Nevermore on the roof scrambled to get inside the cafeteria like a hungry child opening a pack of sweets. It poked its beak in and screeched in agonized lust.

"Run."

The afterimage faded away before the word left his lips. He never even realized she'd gone.


End file.
